someone like you
by treehilluver23
Summary: After four years, Bonnie Bennett returns home to take care of her dying grandmother.
1. Chapter One

**Title:** Someone Like You

**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries (TV Show)

**Pairing/Character(s):** Damon/Bonnie; Stefan/Elena

**Rated:** PG-13

**Spoilers: **AU-All Human

**Summary:** _After four years, Bonnie Bennett returns home to take care of her dying grandmother._

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

_I heard that you're settled down  
that you found a girl and you're married now._

**MYSTIC FALLS WAS** the same as twenty-three year old Bonnie Bennett had remembered it to be the day she left. The Antebellum styled buildings stood tall above the small town as people shuffled about. It had been years since Bonnie had drove down the main road of town and as she took in everything around her, there was a small pang of regret ticking inside her chest. She remembered back to her eighteen year old self who'd promised her family and friends that leaving Mystic Falls was the right thing to do, that following Jamie to New York was a decision she wouldn't regret. However, as the clock inside the Mystic tower chimed the approach of a new hour Bonnie realized that her eighteen year old self was a naïve fool. A year into their new life, Jamie broke up with her to be with a girl he'd met at one of the underground clubs he played with his band. He gave some speech about them growing apart and being in a city that paved the way for new paths. A year after their break up, Bonnie ran into Jamie and the girl from the club, Samantha she learned then, at a store in Brooklyn. Jamie was all smiles and hugs, like he hadn't ripped her heart out and stomped on it the previous year. As Bonnie rushed out a goodbye to the couple, she did her best to ignore the gleaming engagement ring placed delicately on Samantha's left hand.

She hadn't left New York because of Jamie because although he was sort of her first love, he never held that much of a lasting impression inside her heart. She left the big apple because Grams needed her now more than ever. After her father moved to London two years ago for work Grams had been left alone to take care of herself, and now that she no longer could, Bonnie took it upon herself to give back to the woman that gave her so much in her own lifetime. When she'd spoken to her grandmother on the phone three months ago, Bonnie had known then that Grams' time was weighing thinner. Grams protested and insisted to her granddaughter that she was fine and that someone was taking good care of her, but Bonnie had a hard time believing her aging grandmother. Bonnie would never be able to forgive herself if she'd stayed in New York while Grams was left in Mystic Falls without a family member there to take care of her.

Bonnie smiled softly to herself when her childhood home came into view. The blue shutters were rustic with age but managed to fill her with warmth she'd been missing since she was eighteen. The grass was slightly patched in some areas and the paint was chipped at the side of the house. Grams' car, the one she hadn't drove in years, was parked off to the side near the big tree in the front yard. Grams was waiting for her on the porch in the swing they'd put up together when Bonnie was thirteen.

"Bonnie," Sheila Bennett sighed. She was a lot smaller than Bonnie had remembered and when they hugged, Bonnie could feel then just how much Gram's body was suffering. "Look at you all pretty and bright."

"I missed you," Bonnie smiled through happy tears. It had been so long since she felt like she belonged and as she looked into her grandmother's eyes Bonnie knew that she'd made the right decision when she decided to come back home.

Sheila smiled weakly as she wiped the tears from the slope of Bonnie's cheek. "Stop that crying, Girl. I made you some of my famous Lasagna and garlic bread. People up there in New York don't know how to cook. They think that fancy mess is food."

Bonnie smiled and followed Grams into the house. "There is this really nice young man that comes and brings me the things I need. He's handsome, too."

Bonnie laughed at the way Sheila wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Grams was not discreet at all. "I'm sure he is, Grams."

They spent the hours talking about nothing and anything that had been going on in their lives. _It felt good to be home_, Bonnie thought as she listened to her grandmother speak. She could see the happiness in her eyes, the small twinkle that shined. Bonnie knew that deep down Grams had always wanted her to come home, but just wasn't selfish enough to say anything. There are times when Bonnie wishes that maybe Grams would have spoken up sooner and stopped her from following Jamie and his empty bag of promises.

Grams ended up falling asleep on the couch halfway through an episode of the Golden Girls. Bonnie smiled when she looked down at the woman's sleeping form, loving how peaceful she seemed to be. She covered Grams with a blanket and turned the volume down on the TV before she slipped out onto the porch. The cold air whispered across the exposed skin of her body and sent a slight chill down her spine. Mystic Falls always held a certain chill in its air around this time of night. Although Bonnie was happy to be home with Grams, there was a huge part of her that was dreading the reunion with the people she'd left behind four years earlier.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice spoke. Bonnie smiled at the form of her longtime friend. "Shelia told me you were leaving the big city."

"Caroline," Bonnie sighed happily. Caroline Forbes sat next to her on the porch swing. Caroline had been one of Bonnie's best friends all throughout her middle and high school life. When Bonnie moved to New York to be with Jamie, they talked frequently, but as the days passed their conversations became less frequent. It wasn't that they'd had a fallen out with one another or anything. It mostly had to do with Bonnie's busy schedule and bad timing. Caroline was the only person that seemed to understand why Bonnie had left to be with Jamie at the time.

"Shelia told me about Jamie," Caroline said.

Bonnie looked over at the tall blonde, "Yeah. He's married now."

"What an asshole," Caroline commented. Bonnie laughed. "I always knew you could do so much better than him."

"Care, I'm sorry," Bonnie finally said after a few minutes of silence. The blonde looked at her with a look of confusion. Bonnie smiled sadly before she explained, "I left to be with some guy and let our friendship suffer the price."

"Bonnie, if Tyler had asked me to go to New York to be with him when I was eighteen, I would have done it," Caroline said honestly. "I don't blame you for following your heart."

"Yeah, I followed it in the wrong direction," Bonnie laughed bitterly.

"That was just a detour and now you're back where you belong," Caroline smiled.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N:** _Thank you so much for the amazing reviews/comments to everyone that left them on the first chapter. It really does me a lot to me that people are reading this story and are enjoying it so far. Someone PM'd me and asked about the Adele lyrics. The story is _**NOT**_ strictly based on the lyrics, just rather loosely based on the chapter or a small event that happened in the chapter. With that being said, enjoy the new chapter and leave comments/review. I want to hear what you think good or bad._

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Old friend, why are you so shy?  
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light._

**FOR AS LONG** as he could remember, twenty-five year old Damon Salvatore had always wanted to be a doctor. It wasn't that he had some kind of a superman complex where he wanted to be the one to saves lives. Although that part was satisfying, Damon mostly went into the medical filed for the connections. He'd always been a people person and there was something about helping someone who was sick feel a lot better about themselves. He remembers vividly the day he met Shelia Bennett. She'd been rushed into the ER after a neighbor had seen her collapse on the front lawn. The doctor he was shadowing at the time happened to be the one to treat her. That was when Sheila first found out about her illness. She'd taken the news with so much grace that for a second Damon thought maybe she was in denial. However, he realized that Sheila had actually come to terms with her fate. Damon knew then that there was a lot he could learn from her.

He never once found it odd that he'd become such good friends with a woman so much older than him. Sheila was not only a friend to him, but she'd become like family in the short time he'd known her. Damon couldn't help but feel sad for Shelia. She barely had family in Mystic Falls and the ones she did have where nowhere to be found. Her son was somewhere in another country. He'd throw money toward in-home care for Sheila, but he had yet to hear of the man calling or even coming to see his mother. Damon does remember their being a granddaughter, one that called Shelia every other night from New York and sent gifts every holiday. He isn't a pervert or anything but he'd always imagined what Shelia's granddaughter would be like. There were pictures of her all over Shelia's house and her name came up more than once during their conversations. He'd just really like to finally meet the girl that seemed to be such a huge part of Shelia's world.

There was an unfamiliar car in Shelia's driveway when he pulled up. Every Saturday morning before he goes into the hospital, Damon stops by Shelia's house to drop off fresh groceries and a refill of her medicine. She'd always protest and tell him that it wasn't necessary, but he knew she was more than grateful of his assistance. The front door was open like it always is so he walks in. Sheila is in the kitchen at the island as usual and she smiled that bright toothy smile when she saw him.

"Dr. Salvatore, aren't you looking handsome this morning," Shelia smiled.

"Don't I always," Damon smirked as he gave a sweep over his body with the hand that wasn't holding the bag of groceries. "And you know I hate it when you call me that. I'm not a full doctor yet."

He put the groceries on the table and walked over to embrace her in a gentle hug. She was becoming so fragile, but he didn't dare say a word. Shelia was losing weight a lot faster than she was supposed to, but the smile on her face never once did falter. Sheila may have come to terms with her illness, but Damon hadn't been able to picture life without her.

Sheila smiled and pressed her finger to his nose. "But you will be one soon."

Damon laughed as he began to put the groceries away. "Whose car is that?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." The look on Shelia's face insinuated that she hadn't forgotten, but instead withheld the information intentionally. "My granddaughter, Bonnie, came home yesterday."

"Did she now?" Damon questioned. His back was turned to Shelia, but he could just _hear_ the satisfied smile on her face. He turned to face her. "That's good. You could use some family around."

"Yeah, but I worry about her though," Shelia admitted with a sad smile. Damon leaned toward her as his forearms rested against the island top. "When I'm gone she'll be in my same position."

"What do you mean?" Damon pressed. Shelia talked about her granddaughter, but mostly to brag about the woman's accomplishments. Never had she shared something about her so intimate.

"Her father isn't around and lord knows her mother was always no good," Shelia sighed. Her soft brown eyes connected with his. "I worry that she'll be alone like me."

Before Damon could respond, a voice cut into their conversation, "Good morning."

Standing in the doorway was a petite woman with light brown skin that glowed against the thin strapped floral print dress. Her eyes were a bright green and were framed with a curtain of black hair. Her cat-like eyes glanced between Damon and her grandmother. Damon wasn't blind when it came to woman, especially ones as attractive as the one standing before him. His bright blue eyes scanned her up and down as he took her in. The pictures on Shelia's mantel didn't do this girl justice. There was a huge part of him that felt like a scumbag for shamelessly checking her out in front of Shelia, however, the part of him that really wanted to know what this girl's lips tasted like didn't give a damn.

"Good morning, love," Shelia smiled brightly. The sound of her voice snapped Damon out of mentally undressing her granddaughter with his eyes. Shelia focused her attention to Damon, "Bonnie, this is Damon Salvatore."

"Hi," Bonnie nodded. She slowly took a step forward.

Damon made the final move. He stepped directly in front of her and extended his hand. Bonnie shook his hand softly, before moving toward the cabinet. "It's nice to finally meet you. Shelia talks about you a lot."

"Damon is the young man I was telling you about. The one that likes to come and help me when I need him," Shelia explained with a smile, "and when I don't."

"Nice to _meet_ you," she said with a polite smile.

Bonnie poured herself a cup of coffee from the already brewing pot on the counter. The smell of the caffeine wafted through her nose and caused her mouth to water. Bonnie was nothing without her morning coffee. The steam rose delicately above the brown liquid and she blew softly to ease the heat. When the coffee worked its way down Bonnie's throat, she felt like her day could officially start.

"It's good you've been here to help her out," Bonnie said. She clutched the mug in between both hands as she looked at him over the rim. Damon wasn't sure if she was being sincere or just polite.

"Bonnie is taking be out to breakfast this morning," Shelia spoke up with a huge grin on her face. "And then we're going to the church's fundraiser."

Damon loved the fact that Shelia finally had family around, but there was a small part of him that could help but feel a little jealous. For the past couple years, he'd been the one to brighten Shelia's day. He knew it was wrong of him to think like such a selfish prick but he couldn't help it. He was human after all. Shelia had made her way to her room upstairs to retrieve a jacket (after Bonnie insisted that she would need one) which left her and Damon alone in the kitchen somewhat awkwardly.

When Bonnie was sure that Shelia was officially up stairs she spoke, "Look, I'm here now so you don't have to play the 'Great Faith' anymore."

For a minute, Damon was taken aback by her words. He smirked amusingly. "Excuse me? What exactly is the_ 'Great Faith' _as you so eloquently put it?"

Bonnie gave him a pointed look. Damon almost smiled because the look made her look almost identical to Shelia. "You come in with you smile and charm and decide to play hero for a few weeks until you get bored and forget Grams ever existed."

"I'm sorry what?" Damon asked. He was beyond shocked and quite frankly he was pissed. "I'm not sure if you know this, _Bonnie_, but I'm the one that has been here for her the past year and a half unlike some people. I care."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bonnie asked defensively.

"It means that while you were up in New York trailing behind some tool that ended up dumping you, I was here making sure Shelia was alright," Damon snapped. However, the moment the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted them. He was just so fucking pissed that she'd had the audacity to question his dedication to Shelia.

The look on Bonnie's face had him regretting even entertaining her initial comments in the first place. In that moment, he understood why Shelia was so worried about her granddaughter. Hearing him say those words to her put Bonnie in a place of pure vulnerability that was written all over her face. Tears formed in her eyes, but she lifted her chin defiantly and refused to cry.

"Look, I'm-" Damon tried to apologize, but Bonnie stopped him.

"Tell Grams I'll be in the car," she said. Her voice was soft and even as she talked. Damon watched as she moved toward the door, but stopped in the entryway. "Oh, and by the way, this isn't the first time we've met, asshole."

And with that, she was out the door.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: **I am so sorry for taking such a long time on this chapter. Another character is introduced in this chapter (someone that you all know). It is one that I hope you all really like. Thank you so much for the amazing reviews. I read each and everyone of them! I love hearing what you have to say good or bad.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

_I had hoped you'd see my face and that_

_You'd be reminded that for me it isn't over._

"**WOW," WAS ALL** Caroline had to say after Bonnie recapped her on everything that happened yesterday morning. "I can't believe you bitched out on him like that for no real reason."

"I was a total bitch." Although Grams was napping upstairs in her room, Bonnie still kept her voice low. The last thing Bonnie wanted was for Grams to find out about her little 'conversation' with Damon yesterday morning. It was embarrassing enough that Caroline knew and was judging her at the moment. The last thing she needed was for Grams to be disappointed in her, too. Bonnie and Caroline were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table in front of the opened window. There was a slight morning breeze coming in and blowing the soft tendrils of Bonnie's dark brown hair across her face.

Caroline blinked. "That you were, and he _has_ been helping Ms. Shelia out a lot. Why did you go all Naomi Campbell on him anyway?"

Bonnie sighed as she ran both hands through her hair. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke softly, "Damon might have gotten to second base with me at a party freshman year of high school."

Caroline's mouth hung open in shock, "Oh my goodness! Where was I when all of this happened? And how does someone 'might have felt you up' anyway?"

"It was the end of the year party in the woods. You know the one welcoming the new freshman and honoring the leaving seniors," Bonnie explained. She knew it sounded dumb to hold a grudge against someone for something that happened years ago, but she just couldn't help it. Having Damon not remember her stung, especially considering how much they'd gotten to know each other that night (and the making out wasn't that bad either). When she'd seen him and he hadn't shown even a spark of remembering her, something inside her snapped. She knew she'd jumped the gun and made herself look like a total psychotic bitch.

"Bonnie, what was he supposed to say: _'Oh, hi, you're Shelia's granddaughter. Remember when I fingered you in the woods nine years ago?'_" Caroline joked with a smile.

"Ew, Care, you make it sound so tawdry," Bonnie groaned. She ran the pad of her pointer finger along the rim of her cup. "That's not how it was. We talked and shared and-"

"Whilst touching each other," Caroline finished with an amused smile. She loved every minute of this and Bonnie could tell. She was laughing hysterically now which earned her a death glare from Bonnie. "Okay, I'm sorry that was a bit much. I have to be honest though, Bon."

Caroline was waiting for the okay to continue. Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Continue."

The blonde prepared herself before she spoke. "Bon, I love you, but I remember that party and the majority of the people there were wasted including Damon. The two of you might have 'shared' or whatever, but you can't fault him for not remembering you on a night when he probably couldn't even remember his own name. Also, it was nine years ago."

Bonnie sighed as the words registered in her mind. Caroline was right. What happened between her and Damon happened years ago. She couldn't put so much pressure and devotion into something he was probably too drunk that night to remember. A part of her wanted to believe that what happened between them was a lot more, but she knew that was the naïve side of herself talking and Bonnie had promised herself years ago that she'd never be that girl again.

"You're right," Bonnie exhaled softly. She walked over to the sink and placed her empty coffee cup inside. Bonnie leaned against the sink. "I have to apologize to him."

Caroline nodded from her spot at the table. "Maybe you should wear something with a deep neckline. I think he will be more likely to accept the apology then."

* * *

Damon will be the first one to admit that he hasn't had the best track record with women, especially back in high school and the majority of his college years. Back in high school and college he used and abused his good looks and last name to get any woman to fall into bed with him. Back then, he was more likely to forget a woman faster then he met her. So, when Bonnie had mentioned they'd met before, Damon knew which version of him she'd came in contact with. At this point, he didn't really even _like_ her because of the shit she'd said to him yesterday morning. However, the new version of him felt like a total dick for how he handled things between them, especially considering she was Shelia's granddaughter. Damon wracked his brain over and over for any sign of remembering her, but he couldn't seem to place her at any point in his life. Yeah he thought she was kind of a brat at the moment, but he wasn't blind to the fact that she was hot and someone as hot as her was bound to be remembered.

He was sitting behind the patient information desk when he looked up and saw her coming his way. Her curly hair was pushed back from her face by a red headband. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts that made her legs look a lot longer than that actually were and a white button-down shirt. Damon let his eyes linger on the patch of skin that showed due to the undone top buttons of her shirt. Her soft green eyes roamed over every space in front of her without actually looking at Damon. He mentally kicked himself again for not remembering where the two of them met before.

"The, uh, people downstairs told me you were up here," Bonnie said nervously as she played with the hem of her shirt.

Damon stood in front of her behind the circled-desk. "You came to criticize me on filing patient paper work?" He knew it was a jerk thing to say, but he couldn't help himself.

"I'm sorry I came." She rolled her eyes and started walking away.

Damon couldn't help but roll his light blue eyes at her dramatics. He jogged around the circled desk to catch up with her. She was moving faster than he thought a person of her height was able to move. "Bonnie, I didn't mean it like that." She gave him a pointed look. "Okay, so I kind of did mean it like that. What are you doing here anyway?"

Bonnie yanked her arm from where he held onto her wrist. She folded her arms across the front of her chest. "I came here to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. I was being a jerk towards you and I said things to you that were wrong. I'm sorry."

Damon smirked as his ice blue eyes shined with amusement. The girl with the ice queen glare and smart mouth was apologizing to him? Damon pointed to his left ear and tipped it towards Bonnie. "What was that again? I have trouble hearing from this ear."

If looks could kill, Damon would have been dead on the floor. She started walking away from him again, but he stopped her. This time he grabbed her hips with both his hands and pulled her back to him. Bonnie spun around from his grasp and pushed at his chest lightly. "I came here to apologize because I felt bad and was wrong, but you don't have to rub my face in it."

"You're right," Damon sighed. His eyes softened. "I accept your apology. And I am also sorry for bringing up the J word. It was a low blow. I only know what Shelia complains about."

She nodded softly. "I accept your apology, too, and I would really like to start over."

Before Damon could say anything, a voice cut between them. "Hey, Damon, I'm going to leave early so you don't have to watch Charlie tonight," the feminine voice said breathlessly.

Both Bonnie and Damon turned to see the brunette beauty. Her head was down, but Bonnie knew immediately who she was. The voice gave it all away even in its tired state. The woman looked up and her eyes went blank at the sight of Bonnie. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and the pink and green scrubs she wore hung loosely from her small frame. Her child-like face softened along with her chocolate eyes, but only for a second. Bonnie's face fell at the hard glare that was pointed in her direction. Damon looked between the both woman confused.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Elena Gilbert snapped. "I thought you were in New York?"

Bonnie flinched softly at the hardness of Elena's voice. She knew this day would come sooner or later, she just preferred it to be later. "I've been back since Friday morning."

Elena laughed bitterly. "Of course you have, but I wouldn't know that. Then again, I didn't even know when you'd left town."

Bonnie glared at her old friend. "You didn't want to know. You made that perfectly clear."

"I guess Jamie did, too, when he left you for someone else. I heard he married her and everything. I guess abandoning the people that cared about you for some loser didn't work out too well for you," Elena snapped viciously. For a moment there was a look of regret that passed Elena's face at the look of pure hurt and devastation on Bonnie's face before it quickly went away.

Damon could see the hurt Bonnie was feeling all over her face and body language. He started to jump in a say something, but before he could Bonnie held her chin up defiantly before she turned and walked briskly down the hallway. Across from him behind the patient desk, Elena was panting heavily, like she'd just run some kind of a marathon. He guessed telling someone off required a lot of lung capacity. He knew her well enough to know that was the look she got whenever she regretted something she'd done, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't his place.


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N:** _I want to give a **HUGE** thank you to each and every person that reviewed/commented on the previous chapter. I love reading your comments. They always make me smile no matter how long or short. A lot of people seemed to question the Damon/Elena relationship and I can tell you that it is strictly platonic. There also seemed to be some interesting reactions towards Bonnie/Elena's relationship as well. I tried to make this chapter a lot longer then the previous ones. I really hope you all like this chapter! Tell me what you think good or bad._

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**CHAPTER FOUR**

_I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited  
but I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it._

**DAMON BRUSHED THE** loose strands of hair away from his face while he searched the refrigerator for something decent to eat. He'd been at the hospital all day finishing patient paperwork and making sure his patients were doing fine. Damon loved his job but the hours were more demanding than any other job he'd had. He couldn't wait to finish his residency and become a full doctor. Not only would he be living his dream, but the hours were a lot more solid. Damon smiled when he spotted a plate wrapped in aluminum foil. He could always count on his little brother to make sure he ate a decent meal. Damon turned around just in time to see his brother limping through the kitchen door.

"Shouldn't you be in bed resting, little brother?" Damon asked.

Stefan Salvatore grabbed a seat at the breakfast bar slowly. He'd been a little immobile since his accident six months ago, and his road to recovery was moving a lot slower than everyone had hoped. Elena was on edge twenty-four/seven and the grueling doctor bills were taking up the majority of their money. Not to mention Stefan and Elena had Charlie to take care for. Damon tried to help out as much as he could with his niece, but he had a life of his own, and that life revolved around the hospital and him finishing his residency.

"I'm tired of resting," Stefan sighed. His green eyes were tired and worn down. "I've been in bed all damn day. I can't even take care of my own daughter by myself."

"Stefan," the older Salvatore started. He leaned in close to his brother. "You're an awesome father. Charlie and Elena both love you. So what if you're a little banged up. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"I thought doctors were supposed to tell the truth," Stefan questioned sadly.

Damon's blue eyes softened at his brother's saddened face. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not a doctor yet, and it's not a bad thing to give someone a little hope."

"I guess you're right," Stefan smiled, but it didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Hey, I need to ask you a question," Damon stood upright. He un-wrapped the aluminum foil from his plate and popped it into the microwave. "Do you know Bonnie Bennett?"

Stefan nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

Damon shrugged as the microwave peeped. "She's back in town and she and Elena had a girl fight today at the hospital. It was intense."

Stefan shook his head disapprovingly as Damon grabbed his heated food from the microwave. "Elena didn't mention it when she came, but I'm honestly not surprised. Their friendship didn't end very well."

"I got that from the way she and Elena went into bitch mode," Damon laughed. "If they were both in bikinis and wrestling around in mud it would have been more entertaining. Seriously, though it seems like this Bonnie chick pissed a lot of people off when she left."

Stefan shook his head at his brother. "It wasn't just Bonnie's fault that their friendship ended bitterly. When Elena got pregnant is when things really went south between them."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess, Bonnie ditched her?"

Stefan shook his head. "Elena being the scared and embarrassed teen she was at the time pushed everyone away, especially Bonnie. They got into a huge fight one night when Bonnie talked about wanting to move to New York after high school with Jamie. The fight was bad."

Damon cast his eyes down at the plate of food in front of him and sighed. He'd seen the hurt look on Bonnie's face when Elena snapped at her and he couldn't help but feel like he should have done something to make her feel better. He remembered Shelia's words from the other day when the two of them had been in her kitchen. She'd expressed her worry over her granddaughter being alone and at the time Damon hadn't really thought of it. However, as he remembered the hurt look on her face when he mentioned that Jamie guy and when Elena snapped at her, Damon couldn't help but wonder exactly what Shelia meant.

* * *

Bonnie knew she'd hurt people when she left Mystical Falls with Jamie after high school. More specifically she'd known she left her friendship with Elena more fractured than any other. When Elena got pregnant their junior year in high school, their relationship changed. Bonnie had felt like Elena was pushing her away. Bonnie wasn't naïve to think that Elena could do the things she was able to do before she'd gotten pregnant. Bonnie knew that things were going to change and she was okay with that. She wanted to be there for her friend, but it was impossible with the way Elena continued to push Bonnie and everyone else in her life away. Bonnie wasn't selfish enough to put the blame for their friendship going south on Elena, because the truth of the matter was Bonnie hadn't fought harder enough to prove to Elena that their friendship was worth saving. Instead she gave up. It was a lot easier to allow herself to fall harder into her relationship with Jamie because it seemed a lot easier and less complicated than everything else in her life at the time.

"Bonnie," Grams' soft voice called from the other side of the room. Her aging brown eyes stared sadly at her granddaughter. "Are you okay?"

Bonnie nodded. She smiled to let Grams it was okay if she came over and sat down next to her. Bonnie was across the room in a standard plastic hospital chair as she watched the rain fall softly from the sky and pelted against the slope of roof near the window of Grams' hospital room. Bonnie had awoken earlier that morning to the sound of rain and the view of a dark a gloomy day which happened to match exactly how she was feeling at the moment. Grams was due at the hospital for treatment, and Bonnie tired her best to hide her discomfort. The last thing she wanted was to run into Damon or worst Elena. She knew they both usually worked on this floor because Grams mentioned it on their elevator ride up.

Grams sat down next to Bonnie at the window seat and smiled sadly. "Something is going on with you and I want to know what it is."

The younger woman of the two sighed. "I don't know who I am anymore."

Grams' face softened. She grabbed both of Bonnie's hands and held onto them tightly. "You are an amazing woman. We all lose our way sometimes, Bonnie, but that doesn't mean we won't ever find it. You will get there just give it time."

Bonnie wanted to believe in her grandmother's words. However, at the moment she really didn't think she'd ever find a common ground. "Thanks, Grams."

"You're welcome, sweetie," the older woman smiled.

"Hi, Shelia," a petite blonde nurse smiled as she entered the room with a handful of needles and other medical supplies. "Can I get you to sit over here for me?"

"Rebekah, dear this is my granddaughter, Bonnie," Grams introduced with a bright smile.

Rebekah smiled at Bonnie. "Nice to meet you. Shelia talks about you all the time."

"Nice to meet you, too," Bonnie said as she watched Rebekah set up the needles on a medical tray and check the machines behind her. Bonnie's worry must have been displayed all over her face because Rebekah offered her a comforting smile.

"I don't think you want to be in here when they poke and pick at me with those needles. Maybe you should go and get something from the café down the hall," Grams suggested.

Bonnie started to protest, but the look in Grams' eyes told her not to question her. Bonnie kissed Grams' forehead softly before she left the room. She sighed and racked both hands through her dark hair as she walked further down the hall from the room Grams was in. Bonnie wasn't naïve about her grandmother's health, but that didn't mean she sometimes wished the outcome would be different.

The Mystic Fall Memorial hospital café was a lot nicer then she'd thought it would be although it was relatively small in size. Inside the café was a small set of tables lined against the wall of windows. Bonnie spotted the booth in the corner of the room at sat down. There were to nurses sitting at a table near the door and a woman with tear-stained eyes at a table in the middle of the room. Bonnie sighed as she watched the commotion on the other side of the glass wall. There were nurses and doctors shuffling through the halls. Some were wheeling patients into rooms while other held clipboard and manila folders. Bonnie turned from the glass and focused her green eyes on the woman crying silently in front of her. This woman was clutching a crumpled piece of tissue in her hand as she stared down at the table. Bonnie felt a sudden wave of sadness come over her as she thought of Grams and how in a couple of months she could be that grief stricken woman. Her line of vision was corrupted when a figured attached with a pair of ice blue eyes replaced the woman in front of her. It took Bonnie a while to really focus her eyes on her person sitting across from her. Damon was staring back at her intently like he was trying to read every thought running through her head.

"Hey," Damon said, finally breaking the silence between them. "Shelia told me you where down here. She's almost done in there."

Bonnie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She nodded to herself softly as she started down at the wooden table. "It all seems so real now. I'm scared for her."

Damon laughed softly through a smile. "Shelia's a tough cookie."

She looked up at him and blinked. "You really do care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah, she's badass." Bonnie smiled. Damon thought she should do it more often because she got this light in her eye that was hard to miss. "And you don't have to worry about Shelia. She's accepted her fate better than anyone I've encountered."

"I know," Bonnie agreed softly. She shook her head slowly as she said, "I'm starting to get really sad. Distract me with something interesting from your life."

Damon chuckled as he watched Bonnie. "I work in a hospital. The majority of the things that happen here are sad."

She joined him in laughter. "I know, but don't you have any gruesome or downright weird emergency room stories that you can tell me?"

He racked his brain for something good. "When I was studying for a summer program in California once, a man and a woman came into the ER _connected_."

"What do you mean _connected_?" She asked hesitantly.

He grinned at the expression on her face. "Let's just say there was a piercing involved and a serious case of swollen tonsils."

He watched at the realization of what he was saying hit her. Bonnie's delicate face meshed together in disgust. She covered her mouth while Damon laughed loudly. "Oh my god. That is totally disgusting. Did you actually see it?"

He nodded. "A friend of mine also working the summer program took video of it."

"That poor woman," Bonnie giggled. "I bet she was so embarrassed."

"Why would she? She went _down_ in history," Damon smirked. He wigged his eyebrows seductively when he said the word 'down.'

"You're disgusting," Bonnie said as a matter-of-factly.

"It's the truth," he smirked. "That was like the longest blow job in history."

"You're disgusting," Bonnie repeated as she covered her face with both hands. Damon laughed as he watched her. There was something about her that intrigued him. Damon couldn't understand how one minute she could be a tough piece of work to be around and the next minute she managed to be so damn adorable.

"So, you never told me where we met before," Damon said. He'd wracked his brain multiple times over the past few days trying to pin-point where he'd known her from, but he couldn't for the life of him remember meeting her before.

"Oh, uh, you don't have to worry about anymore. I overreacted about that," she said although Damon couldn't help but notice the small blush tinting her cheeks.

He smirked. "Did we hook up or something?"

Her greens eyes widened. She looked around for any way of getting out of this conversation. It was bad enough that Caroline knew all the raunchy details, and the last thing Bonnie wanted to do was refresh Damon's memory in a small café of the hospital where he worked. Not to mention reminding someone that they'd put their hand up her skirt seemed a bit desperate to Bonnie. She was more than thankful when she spotted Grams being escorted down the hall by her nurse Rebekah.

"I gotta go," Bonnie said quickly. She dashed out the small café double doors to meet Grams, leaving Damon more confused than he was before.


End file.
